404
The page you requested doesn't exist
We could not locate the page: /assets/index-Db7xZKu7.js
Try one of the featured posts or search the archive below.
Archive
Capital, clarity, and category creation.
We look at how brands are navigating crowded categories, how the right investor can see around corners, and why the next billion-dollar business might be sitting next to a stale incumbent. Plus: a candid conversation with Asher Hochberg on capital efficiency, growth traps, and finding the blurry edges of breakout markets.
Billion-dollar exits, franchise rockets, and the shifting ground under Target’s feet.
What do skincare, hot chicken, and big-box retail have in common? They're all flashing signals about where the consumer brand landscape is heading. L’Oréal’s $1B buyout of Medik8 marks another huge win for beauty—and for private equity. Dave’s Hot Chicken shows how speed, story, and franchising can turn a parking lot hustle into a billion-dollar empire. And Target’s slowing sales? A wake-up call for CPG founders banking on retail distribution.Plus: on the pod, Matt Jung (Goodonya) shares hard-won wisdom from building and buying brands—with a playbook that drove 125% YOY growth without paid media.Let’s dig in 👇
🍬 From Candy to Candle Media: Lessons in Growth, Licensing & Smart Capital
This week we cover:Lands’ End explores a sale — could this be a rare sub-0.3x revenue apparel buyout?The $3B kids content roll-up you’ve probably streamedHow a low-sugar candy rebrand just raised $30MAnd insights from Anna Whiteman on what actually makes a business venture-backable in 2025
📉 $100M brand sold for $1M + Ridge’s insane run + Ashwinn’s hot takes from both sides
This week’s edition tracks three arcs of consumer brand life:📉 One of the best DTC exits of the 2010s... now worth pennies on the dollar💼 A brand that went from Kickstarter to $100M+ in just a few years🧊 An outdoor staple acquired twice—but at half the valuation multiple🎙 And at the end: hard-won wisdom from Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, who straddles both brand and agency worldsLet’s get into it.
From $20 Socks to $1B Beauty: DTC's Wild Week in Capital, Credit & Category Creation
If you needed a reminder of how strange, brilliant, and high-stakes the DTC and CPG world remains, this past week delivered in spades. We saw an influencer-led brand flip for $1B, a delisted company secure $277M more in credit, and a startup sock brand doubling on eight figures while keeping margins clean. Here are the key moves — and what they say about the evolving playbook.
